Thousands of people flocked to a Tran Dynasty temple to attend a royal ceremony in Nam Dinh City from the late night of February 27 until early yesterday morning.
Huynh Ngoc Son, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly and Nguyen Thien Nhan, Deputy Prime Minister, took part in the ceremony and stamped documents with a royal seal.
The seal is a traditional symbol that was used by previous kings, and it is a tradition to use it every year following Tet.
It is believed that the seal will bring good luck in the new year and many people seek it to bring prosperity, especially for studying and careers.
Seal opening is a rite marking the end of Tet and a start of a new working year according to the Tran Dynasty.
Every year, visitors from all over the country came and attended the ceremony with an aim of receiving a royal seal for a prosperous and lucky year. Many people believe that they will have good fortune in their career for the whole year if they manage to receive a royal seal.
Below are some photos from the ceremony:
Vehicles in-route to Nam Dinh
Preparing for procession rites
Crowds observing the ceremony
Security forces keep the peace
At 10PM on Feb 27, the ceremony opened with the seal procession from Co Trach temple to Thien Truong temple
At 11PM on Feb 27, 14 elderly men conducted rites at Thien Truong temple
Huge crowds tried to catch a glimpse of the ceremony
Praying for a good year
People try hard to get a royal seal
The first lucky people to receive a royal seal
Overjoyed to receive a seal
Tran dynasty temple